This overall growth in sales was largely driven by nationally-distributed brands increasing their commitment to Fair Trade.

The frozen desserts category grew 394 percent, driven in part by brands like Ben & Jerry’s; Honest Tea increased its Fair Trade Certified offerings, which helped grow ready-to-drink beverages by 37 percent; cookies, snack bars and energy bars grew more than tenfold led by the success of companies like LÄRABAR; and the spice category grew 126 percent, due to the expansion of Fair Trade Certified products by companies like Frontier Natural Products Co-op and new products from Spicely.

Dramatic growth in sales was also seen in baking mixes (+51 percent) and sweeteners (+72 percent).

“The increased commitment to Fair Trade by major U.S. brands marks a unique opportunity for American consumers to choose responsibly-sourced products everywhere they shop,” said Mary Jo Cook, Chief Impact Officer at Fair Trade USA. “The 2011 SPINS data only further supports the idea that people want quality products that improve lives and protect the environment; they want to make every purchase matter.”

Other recent studies offer explanations for the increase in Fair Trade sales. A 2011 Harvard study found that the Fair Trade Certified label alone has a large positive impact on sales: adding the Fair Trade Certified label to a product resulted in sales increases of about 10 percent, and a substantial segment of consumers are willing to pay five to ten percent more for a product bearing the Fair Trade Certified label.

Additionally, new research from Cone Communications showed that an overwhelming 94 percent of consumers are likely to switch brands, assuming price and quality are similar, to one that is associated with a good cause. And studies by both Cone and Globescan reveal that a majority of consumers agree that the best way to verify a product’s social or environmental claims is through independent third party certification.

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Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit organization, is the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. Fair Trade USA audits and certifies transactions between U.S. companies and their international suppliers to guarantee that the farmers and workers producing Fair Trade Certified goods were paid fair prices and wages, work in safe conditions, protect the environment, and receive community development funds to empower and improve their communities. Fair Trade USA also educates consumers, brings new manufacturers and retailers into the Fair Trade system, and provides farming communities with tools, training and resources to thrive as international businesspeople. Visit www.fairtradeusa.org for more information.

SPINS (www.spins.com) is the first company to offer Natural and Specialty Product sales data to the industry. Established in 1995, SPINS is now the premier provider of industry reporting and consulting services for this rapidly expanding sector. SPINS’ comprehensive offering includes retail measurement services, content-based reporting, consumer information and consulting services.

Editor's Notes:

Growth rates are for the 12 weeks ending December 24, 2011 over the 12 weeks ending March 19, 2011.